After living in The OC (Orange County, California, just south of Los Angeles) for nearly 30 years, I recently moved to Portland, Oregon. The OC was nice for several reasons; the weather, the beaches, and the abundant free parking come to mind. But, it was time to move on; as nice as it was, I just couldn’t see spending the rest of my life there. Not because it’s too fake; I’m pretty fake myself, so that was never a problem for me. And not because…Continue Reading “Change of Address”→

As a parent, we want the best for our children. Mostly, we want them to be happy. We can’t buy them happiness, although it may be fun to try. Some people would even say that it is impossible to make someone else happy because it is a state of mind that you control for yourself. Sometimes we get in the way of our own happiness. For example, poor nutrition can lead to poor health, which puts a dent in your happiness. I don’t know much,…Continue Reading “Existentialism and Learning to Love Tofu”→

I have been called a narcissist. And yes, I care about myself way more than I care about things that are not me – like other people, never mind animals. I don’t want animals to suffer, but I come first. I never think about cows, probably because I’ve never even seen one. So, it is easy for me to disassociate and pretend a hamburger is not a cow. So clearly, I didn’t go vegan for compassion to animals, actually I became vegan to impress…Continue Reading “Finally Some Real Reasons to go Vegan”→

So, this happened. A work buddy offered me a slice of pizza and I said, “No, Thank you”. He looked at me like I am nuts and said, “Why the hell not, dude?” “I’m vegan, dude”, I answered, bracing myself for the questions that were sure to follow. “Dude, what about Chicken?” he asked folding two pizza slices together and shoving them in his mouth, as if to emphasize his carnivorous ways. “Dude, a chicken is a bird, a bird is an animal, therefore…Continue Reading “Do you eat honey?”→

Leather is primitive and not a good fabric, unless you’re a caveman and that’s all you have. Kill an animal, skin it, and wear the fur. Okay caveman, nice work. But, we have learned to grow cotton and weave fabric, why did we continue to use leather? Leather is marketed as a luxury item; It’s luxury for idiots. It is expensive, which makes sense because there are a lot of costs associated with producing leather, you know – cow killing. But, other than the…Continue Reading “100% Leather, 100% NO”→

A few weeks ago, I made a disparaging comment on Instagram about Carnivores. One fella, a bodybuilder, took exception, and referred to me as a “judgment-ass vegan”. He went on to say that he had tired vegan tuna and it sucks, and that is why he is not vegan and how do we eat this stuff and blah, blah, blah…. Anyway, here’s the recipe. Ingredients: 2 cups cooked organic chickpeas ¼ cup chopped celery ¼ cup chopped red onion ¼ cup chopped peeled apple ¼…Continue Reading “Judgment Ass Toona”→

Welcome to the recipe section of our site. The food is all vegan, nutritious, delicious, cheap, and easy. I have been eating this stuff for seven years, and it keeps me fit, healthy, and happy. Try it. I don’t know what else to say because I am not much of a food writer, not gifted at describing food other than to say, “Good, yum, and nice” vs “Gross, yuck, and no”. In the time it takes you to read one of my posts, you can…Continue Reading “Curried Lentils, yum!”→

“What are you going to write about baby?” asked my vegan wife. I was just starting a new post as Herby Var, my alter ego, a loose cannon who sometimes I can’t control, “The title is Judgement Ass Vegans,” I answered, “and that’s all I really have so far”. “We should be compassionate, accepting, tolerant”, my vegan wife started in, “and also non-judgmental”. I giggled a little because she lost me with non-judgemental. “Baby, you’re all of those things,” I said. We both know that…Continue Reading “Judgment Ass Vegans”→

California offers an endless summer, and nothing says summer like the beach. You can enjoy the beach year round, and it doesn’t cost a dime. It is the place to be, so avoid it at all costs. Here’s why: Sunburn The sun gives you skin cancer and will kill you. Worse, the sun can give you wrinkles. Be safe. Stay inside this summer. And don’t bother with sunscreen because it’is expensive and messy. Kids always pitch a fit when you try to put it on…Continue Reading “Herby’s Top Ten + 1 Reasons to Avoid the Beach”→

Many of us grew up believing that eating meat was important to our health: that it made us strong, and macho. What a marketing job. Wake up people. If you want to be strong, healthy, and beautiful, then be a beaner, not a cowboy. Here are 10 reasons why: 1. Beans have as much protein as beef They both have 24 grams per serving (serving =100 grams). That’s plenty of protein, but let’s not get all crazy about protein consumption. We need protein, but…Continue Reading “Beaners Defeat Cowboys”→